Aside from being a mansion with the required pools, courts, and things like that, Chavit’s Baluarte is best known for housing a menagerie too. Like the Gaws who loved collecting animals resulting into Avilon Zoo, Chavit is also fond of collecting animals. But instead of creating a separate zoo like the Gaws, he made his home the zoo instead and opened it to the public. Harry, the friendly tiger, is probably the best known among his animals and often greets visitors at the entrance. The Baluarte also has orangutans, ponies, ostriches, a butterfly farm, lizards, and other types of fowls.

I first heard about Chavit Singson’s home when my younger sister giddily told me that a member of 嵐 (Arashi), a Japanese boy band of which she is a huge fan, visited the Baluarte to shoot a television show segment where Aiba, the boy band member, takes care of Harry (the tiger) and a lion. Read her blog entry about it.

Mr. Chavit Singson’s Baluarte had added a beautiful attraction to the northern part of the philippines esp to Vigan Ilocos Sur. I’m also thankful that Mr. Singson opened Baluarte to the public.
Well done,Sir.

Actually, this place was more beautiful less the animals and visitors!…it was just his own place then, where the public was allowed to visit, but now more captured animals, where butt ugly people can stick their noses on their glass prisons and poor riden donkeys!
wonderful is it? This place is also expanding throughout the town, where constructions are also being done on lands where people live nearby. There are also escaped animals at times roaming around, could be harming cattles, or farm lands, and planteries around the area. Talk about unequilibrium? Sure the place looks wonderful, but has anyone came across the idea of the land being destroyed as it gets more popular, the bigger it will be and more harm done?